My boyfriend is very into beer – drinking it, brewing it, and reading all about it. Because of this, I have become a much bigger beer fan, but still only in the drinking it stage. So, after dragging him through the cobblestone streets of Dusseldorf’s Altstadt (Old Town), we stopped by a few of their famous Altbier Brauerei’s. Altbier or ‘Old Beer’ in German is a style that was first brewed around the city of Dusseldorf. It gets its name from using an older method of fermentation – it’s top fermented rather than bottom fermented like other lager beers.
Almost every pub in the city sells Altbier and even the more modern ones still wouldn’t be confused with a conventional lager. The best way to enjoy Dusseldorf’s Altbier is at the brewery itself, straight from the wooden barrel. So that’s exactly what we did.
Altstadt has five Altbier Breweries located within it:
- Füchschen – which means ‘In the little fox.’ This place has been pouring Alt since 1848.
- Kürzer
- Schumacher– The oldest brewery in Dusseldorf, it’s been serving since 1838!
- Schlüssel-In 1850, it became a bakery and brewery. The name, which means ‘The Keys,’ came from the custom to keep the keys for the town gates at the local public houses.
- Uerige– which has been brewing since 1862.
All of these Alt breweries have been around for well over 100 years and each have their own version of Altbier as their house specialty.
We were lucky enough to arrive in Dusseldorf during a festival which meant there were Altbier tents from all the local breweries set up with €2 beers! We tried Schlüssel Alt here before heading to Kürzer for our first brewery stop.
The building was old and stone and had the feel of what I felt an old German bar should be. There was lots of seating inside and stand up tables outside. From the time you order your first Altbier, the half pints just keep arriving at your table until you ask for your bill.
From here, we moved over to Füchschen. There was some seating and lots of stand up tables both inside and out. It was a very busy place, filled with patrons of all ages, a family on one side and a group of seniors on the other. The brewpubs here are a place where everyone goes to hang out and share a beer or two and at some, have dinner. The atmosphere found here is something we aren’t used to back home, but was a welcome change. 
Once again, the Altbier just kept coming until we asked for our bill and the food coming out of the kitchen made us wish we hadn’t just eaten! In both places, we sat near the large barrel casks where a constant flow of Alt was being poured. It was a great way to spend an afternoon with the locals in Dusseldorf!
Prost!
Our first stop was Sun Studios, where Elvis was first recorded. The studio is found in an old industrial area that looks pretty run down, but in 1950, Sam Phillips started the studio here. At first, he was just a recorder. He had a portable set up and would travel around recording anyone and everyone, but the new blues style of music was his favourite. He was doing all these recordings, but getting no credit, as the artists were taking their demos and getting signed by labels. This led to the decision to start Sun Studios. Elvis first came in to record a few songs for his mother at 18 years old. Sam didn’t like him, but the woman at the office, Marion Keisker, loved him. Over the year, he kept coming back to record songs and speak with Marion, and eventually sang something Sam liked. In 1953, he signed him. Over the next two years, Elvis recorded 5 hits before being sold to RCA. Sam needed money at the time for one of his many lawsuits to save the studio and knew Elvis would do well with RCA. For 25 years, the studio sat empty. Then in 1984, they started recording there again at night. During the day you can take a tour, and at night everyone from U2 to Maroon 5 comes in to record. The recording studio is still exactly the same as it was when Elvis recorded there. It was also where Million Dollar Quartet was secretly recorded on December 4, 1956. Elvis liked to stop by and see how things were going when he could and one night he was there with some Sun Studio artists – Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and newcomer Jerry Lee Lewis. They all started jamming, and Sam secretly recorded this session, but legally couldn’t use it for anything as Elvis was under contract with RCA. So it remained a secret until the 1980s, after Sam sold the studio.
Salem may be most widely known as the site of the witchcraft trials of 1692, but this colourful coastal city has a lot more to offer: impressive historic architecture, maritime heritage and a rich history spanning nearly four centuries.
Tales of a Travel Addict 
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